The Unwritten Case

Gaurang Vinayak and Sankalp Shanker
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"The Unwritten Case" is a podcast started by two MBA candidates in the HBS class of 2026 - Gaurang Vinayak and Sankalp Shanker - to learn more about the background stories of members of the HBS community. HBS is quite familiar with the concept "myTakes": A 20-30 minute presentation uncasing the background of an HBS candidate structured to share a part of their life. "The Unwritten Case" is an ode to myTakes but in the form of a podcast.

Episodes

  1. 12 APR

    Episode 008: Niraj Suresh

    We welcome Niraj Suresh on the podcast for our next episode. Niraj is part of the HBS Class of 2026, and opens up about what it was like growing up across six cities and two countries... from small-town Pennsylvania to Bangalore and eventually back to the US. Niraj shares how constantly moving shaped his ability to form relationships, the pressure of the Indian academic system, and how chasing gold stars from a young age led him down the aerospace engineering path to Boeing, only to realize he needed a course correction. He also talks about his deep passion for piano and the road not taken as a musician. We close with a conversation about what home really means when you don't have one fixed place to call your own, and how he and his wife Neha are thinking about building stability for their future family. Tune in for another episode as you think about what it means to find belonging and what you're willing to trade off to get there.

    51 min

  2. 19 MAR

    Episode 007: Emilie Umuhire

    Episode 7 features Emilie Umuhire, a member of the Harvard Business School Class of 2026, entrepreneur, and aspiring builder focused on expanding access to opportunity in Rwanda and across Africa. In this episode, Emilie reflects on her journey from Rwanda to Northwestern and now Harvard Business School, sharing how resilience, ambition, and what she calls “delusional optimism” helped her dream beyond the limits of her circumstances. She opens up about the influence of her mother and sister, the tension between impact and wealth creation, and the startup she is building to democratize access to employment for university students in Rwanda. At the heart of the conversation is Emilie’s unwritten case: building something both deeply impactful and commercially successful that can transform Africa’s talent market at scale.

    50 min

  3. 6 MAR

    Episode 006: Tre Mansdoerfer

    We welcome Tre Mansfoerfer on the podcast for our next episode. Tre is part of the HBS Class of 2026, and shares more about what he is currently up to in Kenya with a new startup endeavour before we move into some significant events in Tre's backstory that shape his leadership principles today. On February 4th 2017, Timothy Piazza, a close friend of Tre , lost his life in a hazing incident at Penn State University during a bid night event for the Beta Theta Pi fraternity. Tre opens up publicly for the first time about this story and how it impacted Tre, Tim's family, and the greek life system in the US forever. Learn more about Tim and what he lived for at https://www.liveliketim.org/ Join Tim's cause and support children and adults who need prosthesis, and college scholarships for students at Hunterdon Central High School.

    54 min

  4. 09/12/2025

    Episode 005: Isaiah Drummond

    Isaiah joins us on an episode, opening with how the EC year has been for him so far. He shares his story about growing up in Houston, his relationship with his parents and siblings, and some key moments that stuck with him through his childhood and shape how he approaches life even today. Tune in for another episode as you think about what are your glass balls and rubber balls.

    48 min

  5. 23/11/2025

    Episode 004: Stephen Buchanan

    Stephen's life story shows resilience, as his experiences with the unexpected during his early years really defined his values in life, why he enlisted in the military, and his outlook on his years ahead. Join us in an episode with Stephen as our guest, and learn more about one of our veterans at HBS!

    48 min

  6. 15/11/2025

    Episode 003: Theophyl Kwapong

    Today, we have Theophyl (Theo) joining us on The Unwritten case. Theo talks about his relationship with his siblings as the eldest, how his family went through a financial struggle, and how this has shaped his view on life. Tune in and find your story in Theo's life journey.

    46 min

  7. 28/10/2025

    Episode 002: Anisha Agarwal

    Join us with Anisha Agarwal (HBS '26), as she shares her story on our podcast about her journey between India and USA, how this has shaped her outlook on life, and how she plans to solve the mental health landscape in India.

    30 min

  8. 14/10/2025

    Episode 001: Luis Penichet

    Join us on our episode with our very first guest: Luis Penichet, a member of Section C Class of 2026, as he shares more about his story and how that has shaped his purpose in life, how he perceives the world of business, and what's important to consider.

    42 min

  9. 13/10/2025

    Introducing "The Unwritten Case"

    "The Unwritten Case" is a podcast started by two MBA candidates in the HBS class of 2026 - Gaurang Vinayak & Sankalp Shanker - to learn more about the background stories of members of the HBS community. The HBS community is quite familiar with the concept "myTakes". A 20-30 minute presentation uncasing the background of an HBS candidate structured to share a part of their life. "The Unwritten Case" is an ode to myTakes but in the form of a podcast. Stay tuned to uncover the story of our first guest!

    7 min
  • 9 Episodes

About

"The Unwritten Case" is a podcast started by two MBA candidates in the HBS class of 2026 - Gaurang Vinayak and Sankalp Shanker - to learn more about the background stories of members of the HBS community. HBS is quite familiar with the concept "myTakes": A 20-30 minute presentation uncasing the background of an HBS candidate structured to share a part of their life. "The Unwritten Case" is an ode to myTakes but in the form of a podcast.

Information

  • Creator
    Gaurang Vinayak and Sankalp Shanker
  • Years Active
    2k
  • Episodes
    9
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Gaurang Vinayak and Sankalp Shanker
  • Show Website
    The Unwritten Case